THE PHOENIX

For the record I attribute the Phoenix bird with Fire and Stone.

A number of things attribute this formation to being an actual Phoenix nest. Firstly the shape is obviously pleasing to a Phoenix, which was the first clue it was made by one. Secondly the smokeless fire that always burns at the peak - it clearly isn't natural fire, and it is assumed that this is the Phoenix's aura emnating from the peak, perhaps to incubate an egg? The third reason that many of the Kaetsu ninja assume this is a real nest is that the one of the eyes on the statue seems to also constantly burn with fire. It was discovered that this was not a small fire itself, but rather a large red gemstone of an undetermined variety.

However probably the most solid evidence is the legend of Hirano Keiichi, the founder of the Kaetsu ninja in 2708. It is said that he once possessed the second eye of the Phoenix, and that it granted him the power to summon the mighty phoenix itself. It is said that the Phoenix greatly desired possession of this stone, and that Keiichi swallowed his pride and accepted a bargain with the mighty creature, that he surrenders the stone, and in return the Phoenix teaches him how to utilize the power of the phoenix himself. This technique was called the " Wings of the Phoenix " and carried on through the Hirano family to this day. It is the strongest of all Kaetsu's techniques.

HISTORY OF THE AREA

Kaetsu province is located just north of Kyoto.

Although it looks like a prominent landmark, the phoenix rock formation is EXTREMELY hard to find. The dense forest that surrounds it is a strange thing, one can enter it and walk straight ahead, before soon exiting at almost the same place they entered... This became such a phenomenon that in 2536 they built a walkway through this forest, and were amazed when the same effect happened. All the tiles were placed exactly at right angles, the road was completely straight, but exited the forest 100m across from its start location. 450m of roading was used.

So why doesn't anyone see the phoenix from distance or from a plane? This is unknown, but it is certain that the rock formation is visible from the treetops. Only the Kaetsu ninja know of this route and no other person has managed to get deep enough into the forest to see it.

Hirano

The Hirano family are the founders of the Kaetsu ninja, and also the strongest in combat. Their strongest attack - ' wings of the phoenix ' is the main reason the Kaetsu ninja are called the kasei or ' force of flames '. Their attacks rage with fire, and many opponents flee when they realise who they are facing. The Hirano family secure a contract with each emperor as they come to power, and this family is called out when the emperor needs a strong presence by him, or calls a raid on an opposing power. When the emperor recently asked for an ambassador, someone to relay information to and from Kaetsu, the Hirano family scoffed at the thought, and only agreed to the proposition when convinced of the merits by Yumaku Kasumi.

BUSHIDO: The Hirano family is cocky by nature, and although they created the bushido code, they rarely follow it, preferring to play with and mock their opponents.

CLOTHES: The Hirano family's clothes are light, oft times seductive and use a variety of fire-based colours.

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Yumaku

The Yumaku family is second highest in the Kaetsu ninja because of their amazing stealth skills. They are the most commonly used by the emperor, as many of the assignments he asks involve spying or discreet attacks. Because of this, many of the traditional Yumaku techniques don't involve fire at all. When the emperor asked for an ambassador, Kasumi was torn - she would never disobey a direct order from the emperor, but this seemed such a useless request... When Hirano Hiko scoffed the thought, Kasumi defended the emperor's decision, stating that her next-born would be trained for the position.

BUSHIDO: The Yumaku family is heavily focused on honour and tradition, they believe in the Kaetsu Bushido and follow it to the word. They take every order seriously and will execute it without question.

CLOTHES: The Yumaku family's clothes are always traditional, quite often using the full samurai cloth attire, and using the simple combination of black and white.